The Master of Psychology (Clinical) program began in 1971. The School’s theoretical orientation has primarily been one of experimental empiricism, and the Clinical program adheres to the scientist-practitioner model for clinical training. The program has an emphasis on cognitive-behavioural approaches to the understanding and management of clinical programs. The program concerns itself with adult, adolescent and child clinical psychology, neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation.

The program is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as the fifth and sixth years of study leading to full membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and registration as a psychologist with the national Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA). Graduates of the program are eligible for Associate Membership of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. After completing a further two years of full-time equivalent supervised practice, graduates of the program are eligible to apply for full membership and endorsement as a Clinical Psychologist.

Graduates of the Master of Psychology (Clinical) program will have, as per the APAC Accreditation Standard 5.1.12, the following core capabilities and attributes that are essential for practising psychology safely upon registration.

Knowledge of the Discipline

Overall knowledge of the discipline underpins all of the other capabilities and includes knowledge of psychological principles, professional ethics and standards, theories of individual and systemic functioning and change, dysfunctional behaviour, psychopathology, the cultural bases of behaviour and organisational systems.

Demonstrated capabilities

Strong knowledge of:

relevant psychological theories and models;

published empirical findings supporting theories (especially those which underpin the major forms of psychological intervention) and the methods employed to establish them;

the major methods of psychological investigation and techniques of measurement, and their application and interpretation; and

design and implementation of psychological interventions.

Ethical, Legal and Professional Matters

The ethical, legal and professional aspects of psychological practice.

Demonstrated capabilities

1. Familiarity with legal and professional matters including:

the main provisions of the State and Commonwealth Acts and Regulations of Parliament relevant to psychologists’ work;

codes of conduct relevant to psychologists’ work including those published by relevant psychologist Registration Board(s);

the Australian Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines;

confidentiality and privacy issues;

administrative and record keeping procedures (including adequate clarification of any financial arrangements);

consent issues;

issues concerning practice with minors and those unable to provide informed consent;

boundary issues;

sexual propriety;

psycho-legal issues;

role and cultural issues, including issues for minority or marginalised groups;

gender and sexuality issues;

service needs of vulnerable groups in society;

registration issues;

advertising and public statements;

billing practices;

the role of the psychologist within the profession and the workplace;

the roles of other professions and the capacity to report to other professionals appropriately and to work collaboratively;

the propriety of relationships amongst psychologists, and between psychologists and other professionals, employers and clients;

the mechanisms for the resolution of conflict between psychologists and clients, colleagues, employers and other professionals;

negotiated workplace agreements;

note-taking and record keeping.

2. Conduct or behaviour consistent with the legal requirements and codes of conduct relevant to psychologists, especially:

ethical and professional behaviour and manner;

State, Territory and Federal Codes of Behaviour for Psychologists and statements of Clients’ rights;

the Australian Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines;

appropriately clarifying and negotiating the role and responsibilities as a trainee psychologist;

record keeping, including demonstrated knowledge of the ethical and legal implications of administrative and record keeping procedures including confidentiality.

3. Self-evaluation or self-assessment skills, including identification of the limits of one’s professional competence.

4. Ability to apply ethical principles to ethical dilemmas.

Psychological Assessment & Measurement

The ongoing, interactive, and inclusive process that serves to describe, conceptualise, and predict relevant aspects of a client ('client' here meaning an organisation, group or individual).

Demonstrated capabilities

A strong level of skills and knowledge in conducting systematic psychological assessment using a wide range of assessment techniques, including:

1. The theoretical basis for the assessment techniques used in psychology.

2. Knowledge of psychometric properties of psychological tests and the ability to use this knowledge to inform problem formulation.

the current version of at least one major standardised test of personality (examples of appropriate tests include - 16PF, MMPI, CPI, OMNI, NEO-PI);

the current version of at least one specialised memory assessment (e.g. Wechsler Memory Scale, Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning); and

other tests, appropriate to the learning objectives of the course, which are based on empirically validated approaches and equivalent accuracy in the measurement of cognitive or behavioural functioning or an accurate measurement of aptitude, abilities or skills.

5. Awareness of limitations of psychological tests with particular reference to notions of validity, reliability, and cultural issues.

Activities that promote, restore, sustain or enhance cognitive functioning and a sense of well being in individuals or groups of clients through preventive, developmental or remedial services and/or in the case of groups or organisations, restoring or enhancing group or organisational functioning.

11. Familiarity with a range in intervention techniques and strategies as well as their theoretical and empirical bases, for both individuals and groups;counselling skills.

12. Highly skilled use of core behaviour change skills including counselling and cognitive behavioural approaches to helping as appropriate in group individual or organisational settings.

13. Organisational interventions; career development (i.e., helping with career planning in private or organisational contexts).

14. Ability to design and implement evaluations of the impact of the interventions (including the ability to employ appropriate research designs to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions) including:

4. Designing interventions, therapeutic programs or other means to test hypotheses including an understanding of the principles of single case designs.

5. Designing and implementing program evaluation;collecting, recording, and analysing responses to interventions or therapeutic programs.

6. Use of qualitative and quantitative methods, skilled analysis of data, and the ability to draw accurate research inferences.

7. Critical evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions and programs including:

suggesting modifications for future use.

awareness of issues regarding reliability and validity of observations.

6. Communication and Interpersonal Relationships

The capacity to convey, appraise and interpret information in both oral and written formats and to interact on a professional level with a wide range of client groups and other professionals, including:

1. The ability to establish and maintain constructive working relationships and in clinical settings therapeutic alliances with clients.

2. The ability to communicate, interact and liaise for a range of purposes (e.g., discussing research with other professionals; discussing relevant psychological services with clients, potential clients).

3. The ability to develop knowledge of theories and empirical data on professional relationships, such as:

interpersonal relationships;

power relationships;

therapeutic alliance;

interface with social psychology;

more specific knowledge of the fluctuations of the therapeutic/professional relationship as a function of intervention setting.

Demonstrated capabilities

1. High level oral communication and interpersonal skills in communicating effectively with clients, other psychologists, other professionals, the community; individuals, small groups and agencies from varied cultural, ethnic, religious, social and political backgrounds, including:

2. Seeking out, understanding and responding appropriately to information provided by a range of persons in order to adequately meet their needs.

3. Excellent written communication, including the ability to write, in an organised fashion, reports and other documents:

which are informed, succinct, accurate, lucid and well-organised;

for a range of audiences, including educational, health and legal professionals, courts, government departments, insurance companies, corporations and other entities and which clearly communicate the intent of the writer taking into consideration the sensitivity of the matters under discussion and the capacity of the reader to accurately interpret the information.

Professional practice – Completion of a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice within the School Clinic and in field clinical settings, weekly Clinical meetings and Skills Training Workshops (24 UOC)

Students must satisfactorily complete PSYC7227 Research Thesis (Clinical) 1 before they can enrol in PSYC7228 Research Thesis (Clinical) 2.

Each professional placement in the program is linked to a Professional and Ethical Practice (PEP) course. Until the placement has been successfully completed, a PE grade will be applied to the PEP course. If the placement is not completed to a satisfactory standard, or placement requirements have not been met (as determined by both the Placement Coordinator and Program Director), a UF grade will be applied to the PEP course. Failure to meet placement requirements and successfully complete the placement will lead to failure of the PEP course. No hours from an unsatisfactory placement will count towards the minimum 1000 hours of supervised practical placement experience required for completion of the program

Should a student fail a course*, approval to enrol in the failed course again will be at the discretion of the Program Director (and Placement Coordinator, in the case of PEP courses)^. Alternatively, the Program Director may recommend that the student withdraw from the program.

* Any of the 14 courses required for the program, including PSYC7227 (Research Thesis (Clinical) 1), PSYC7228 (Research Thesis (Clinical) 2) and any of the four PEP courses.

^ In Australia, the psychology profession is regulated by the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act as overseen by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The School of Psychology is responsible for adhering to federally legislated professional and accreditation standards for training provisionally registered psychologists in full compliance with the APS Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines. Master of Psychology students, as provisionally registered psychologists, are expected to display the competencies, professionalism and reputable behaviours the discipline demands. In making their recommendation, the Program Director will consider these factors not simply from an academic standpoint, but as the discipline's chief authority on such professional and ethical matters within the program.Should a student disagree with a recommendation made by the Program Director, their avenue of appeal will be to the Head of School and/or School Board.Refer to individual Course Descriptions for prerequisite information.

The minimum entrance requirement is completion of an accredited four-year Bachelor degree in Psychology (with First Class Honours) from UNSW, or equivalent from another APAC-recognised university.

Psychology qualifications obtained outside of Australia must contain a significant research thesis component, and must be assessed as the equivalent of an Australian four-year sequence in psychology (including Honours) by the APS.

UNSW English Language Requirements can be found here, however all Master of Psychology students must meet registration standards developed by both the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and PsyBA in order to register as provisional psychologists. Those not registered as provisional psychologists cannot undertake professional practice, a compulsory component of all Master of Psychology programs, as they are not permitted to have any client contact.

As the number of places available each year is limited, entry into the program is competitive. Selection is based on academic qualifications for the program, two referee reports, and performance at an interview. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview.

Applicants should refer to the School of Psychology’s How to Apply page for more detail about the application procedure and requirements.